Opiates originate from the Opium Poppy Papaver somniferumplant. The Poppy is originally from Asia (Iran/India). But currently Opium Poppies are grown in different regions to produce Narcotics (ex: morphine, thebaine, codeine, papaverine and noscapine,etc.) where as Morphine when sythesized makes (ex: Oxycodone, Hydromorphone and Diacetylmorphine bka "HEROIN"). The regions Opium Poppy is grown is the Golden Crescent (Iran,Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Golden Triangle (Burma, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam), Mexico and Colombia.